


Lavender Tattoo

by bulletincookie



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Antonio loses the ability to think when he sees João, Crush at First Sight, Florist AU, Fluff, Human AU, M/M, lets pretend google doesnt exist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 08:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17525540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletincookie/pseuds/bulletincookie
Summary: Antonio's always considered himself good with plants. But when he gets an unknown plant from his cousin that starts to quickly show signs of deteriorating, he takes it into a nearby flower shop to ask what is wrong with it and ends up coming face to face with a handsome man with a lavender tattoo. He becomes determined to get his number, despite several setbacks.





	Lavender Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is just a quick oneshot that I wrote for funsies. I actually started writing this at the same time as the beauty and the beast AU, but this one took much longer to finish because I ended up getting stuck. I hope you enjoy!

Life was so fleeting, so delicate and precious. There was hardly a time that Antonio took it for granted. He cherished it every moment that he could. That was shown especially through his plants, which he always took care of as best he could. However, looking at the little potted plant that Feliciano had given him just last month, he could not help but feel like he was torturing the poor thing.

The short plant with its wide, outstretched leaves was yellow, and even red in some areas. It had been a bright, vibrant green when Feliciano picked it up from the store to give him, so it was clearly not supposed to be red, right? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask Feliciano, maybe he got instructions on how to care for it from wherever he got it from.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.

“Eh? The plant I gave you is red? That shouldn't be doing that.”

“That is why I am asking you Feli! Were you given any instructions on how to care for it? Do you know what kind of plant it is? Maybe I can look it up online.”

“No, I don't. I'm sorry Toni, maybe there's a florist around that will know.”

“Maybe. Thank you anyways Feli.”

Soon Antonio found himself strolling down the street, the small, brightly painted ceramic bowl in one hand as he followed the directions on his phone held in his other hand. The only florist that was nearby was a fifteen minute walk away and looked incredibly small, but Antonio assumed that it was as good of a place to start as any. He despised walking so far, but he could not bear to see the little plant that Feliciano presented to him so proudly suffering like it was.

The minute he walked into the florist's shop, Antonio could tell he was in the right place. It was a small building from the outside, but what the photos online didn't reveal was the burst of color from all of the flowers and different plants arranged and stacked nearly to the ceiling in the shop. Antonio noted that they were all suspended on trays, shelves, and even some on hooks on wire walls to try to make the most of as much space as possible.

But the beauty of the countless plants and flowers surrounding him did not even come close in comparison to a man humming and swaying his hips to the background music as he tweaked displays just right, his back to Antonio. Antonio could only assume the man was a worker from his apron and his work. The man turned and jumped at the sight of Antonio, startled by his appearance. Antonio felt his throat close up at how beautiful his eyes were. They were not quite as green as the plants surrounding him, but they were flecked with gold and held a depth that made Antonio want to stare at them all day.

“Sorry, I did not see you there,” the man said as he took a towel from his apron to wipe dirt off of his hands. “What can I help you-- Oh no, have you come to ask about your succulent?”

Antonio stared at him for several more seconds, dumbfounded by how rich and smooth this man's voice was.He almost forgot about the plant in his hands, but finally snapped out of it and cleared his throat.

“My-- My what?” he asked, his voice weak.

“That plant you have, it is a succulent right?”

“I...” Antonio looked down at the pitiful, yellow and red plant in his hand. “I do not know, honestly. My cousin gave it to me, but..the store did not give any information on it, not even how to take care of it.”

“Let me see,” the worker sighed, taking the ceramic bowl out of his hand. Antonio felt his breath hitch at the light brush against his fingers. He stood there as the worker inspected the plant with a close eye, even pushing his light brown bangs away from his face to try to see better. It was then that Antonio noticed the delicate tattoo of a bundle of lavender curling along his collarbone and the base of his neck, just barely peeking out of the collar of his shirt. 

“I-I like your tattoo,” he choked out. The worker looked up at him surprised. 

“Thank you, it was done by my ex. I forget it’s there sometimes,” he admitted with a small chuckle. He lifted the pot up and looked at the underside, and clicked his tongue and shook his head. His frown only deepened when he pressed his finger to the soil.

“You have been drowning the poor thing,” he chided. Antonio felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment and he wrung his hands.

“D-Drowning?” he asked. “That is impossible, I have been watering it every other day.”

“Exactly. You are not supposed to water it everyday or every other day,” the worker sighed. “Not to mention, the soil it is in is not the right kind. It holds too much water. The pot should have a drainage hole at the bottom too, just in case you pour too much water in. It is much too small for this plant anyways, you are lucky it isn't root bound.”

Antonio felt his heart drop at hearing that. Of course, he had noticed that the pot didn't have a drainage hole like the others he had his plants in, but he did not think it was a big deal if he watered the plant every other day with a little less water than usual.

“Can I buy a new pot for it here?” he asked. “And...And soil.”

“Of course you can, what kind of florist do you think this is?” the worker scoffed. “One moment.” He took the plant over to the back wall, next to the counter, where stacks of different sized pots of many styles were. The worker held up the plant to some of the smaller clay ones before finally deciding on one. He set Antonio's plant down next to it and went into a back room with the new pot to come back a minute later with it filled with soil, as well as a measuring cup filled with water.

Antonio watched in amazement as the exceedingly gorgeous man went about transferring his plant to its new pot, and with delicate fingers dusty with dry soil, patted a small mound around it to hold it in place.

“There, that should be alright,” the worker said, sliding the pot across the counter to him.

“W-Wait, but shouldn’t it be watered? To help it grow in the new soil,” he protested. The worker shot him a sharp look.

“The poor thing is already drowned enough,” he explained. “Do you not have many plants at home?”

Antonio hesitated. “Of course I do. I have, ah...” He paused for a moment to count on his hands. “...Five. Carnations, rosemary, basil, thyme, and parsley.”

“I see. Have you not had to repot any of them at least once?”

“I have, but I put them in new pots when it was time for them to be watered anyways.”

The worker sighed in relief, and Antonio felt proud of himself for passing an unspoken test of raising his plants.

“Well, this will be different than those. Wait a few days to water it again. After that, do not water it unless the soil at the bottom of the pot is completely dry, understand? It should be about once a week or once every two weeks. It looks like it's getting enough sunlight, so once you keep it on a watering schedule then it should be fine.”

Antonio took his plant in its new pot and the old pot in his hands. “Thank you,” he said. He paid for the pot and soil and left, though right as he was unlocking the door to his apartment, he stopped and groaned.

“I should've asked him for his number!” he cried as he walked inside. “Ah, maybe I can go back tomorrow.” _Idiot! You cannot just walk into the shop and ask him for his number! You need a plan!_ he scolded himself. He sighed and set his plant back on the windowsill where it had been before, and he looked at the others lined up along the windowsill. All of his plants were thriving from what he could see, there was no point to going back to the shop. Unless...

Antonio pushed his plants as close as they could be without blocking each other from the sunlight, and he brightened up when there was just enough space for one more pot. There, he could buy another plant. He could ask the beautiful man what his favorite in the shop was, and then buy that! How romantic it would be! Then he could say that they could exchange numbers, so that he could keep him updated on how well he was taking care of it! Antonio beamed and even clapped a few times in excitement, proud of himself for coming up with such an ingenious plan.

The next day, all throughout his job at the retailer, he could hardly contain his excitement. Even his co-workers noted that there was something more bubbly about him, even more so than usual. The flower shop was even more of a walk from his work, but Antonio did not even feel it at all as he hurried to get there before it closed.

He burst through the door, only to have his hopes and excitement immediately dashed as he took in the sight before him. The gorgeous man from yesterday was nowhere to be seen in the small shop, instead there was only a blonde with a bored expression on his face and the thickest eyebrows Antonio had ever seen on someone.

“Can I help you find anything?” he asked, and Antonio nearly recoiled at the pompous English accent that came from his mouth.

“I'm looking for, uh...” Antonio realized he never got the handsome man's name. “He was working here yesterday. I, um, wanted to ask him something. Is he in?”

The blond's expression instantly soured, and his previously bored eyes turned into a cold glare. “He isn't. If you aren't going to buy anything, get out.”

Antonio hesitated, unsure of what to do. He did not want to spend his money on a plant if the handsome florist was not there to be impressed by his plant caring skills, but he knew how rude it would be if he only walked in, asked about one of the workers, and then left again. He also did not want to have made the trip all the way there for nothing. He took a moment to browse the shop, pretending like he was considering the many plants that all appealed to him for different reasons, but he had to save it for later. He finally settled on a packet of seeds for some more flowers, and he paid for them and left. Perhaps he could start a balcony garden, it was about time he did something with that space anyways.

Antonio sighed and set the seeds aside when he got home. He would buy a pot and some soil for them another day.

The next few days were just as unsuccessful, and Antonio felt his heart getting crushed with every time that he passed by the florist shop “casually” after work and peeked in to see the same blond as before inside. He was annoyed at having to walk that far for nothing, but he also did not want to needlessly spend money and have to deal with the aggressive man again.

After the third day in a row of no luck, Antonio was ready to give up. _One more try,_ he decided on the fourth day as he trudged on. _One more try, and if he is not there then it is not meant to be._

He nearly tripped over his own feet when he spared a glance into the shop and saw a flash of brown hair inside. He barged his way into the shop, the bell swinging and nearly hitting the ceiling from the force. The handsome worker turned around with wide eyes before relaxing and smiling gently at him.

“Oh, hello again. How is your succulent doing?” he asked.

“I-- er, fine,” Antonio choked out. “Um, I came for, ah, another plant. I have space on my windowsill, so I was thinking...” He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“Good. What kind of plant do you want?” the worker asked. Antonio brightened up, realizing this was his chance.

“Your favorite one,” he blurted out. The man blinked a couple of times in surprise before laughing and leaning back against the counter.

“That is like asking to name a favorite child! It is almost too difficult to pick one,” he joked. He hummed and looked around the shop. “How much sun does the window get?” he asked. “And how much space is there?”

“Full sun all day,” Antonio replied. “And for space, it is about, ah...” He tried his best to measure out the space with his hands.

“Here, I would suggest lavender then. I am fond of how it smells, I am sure you will love it too,” the worker said, strolling over to a row of pots of lavender on the shelf. 

“Is that why you have a tattoo of it?” Antonio asked. The worker paused in his inspection of the different pots and smiled. 

“Well, yes. But it is also because that is the plant my ex got me to ask me out with,” he explained, and Antonio noticed there was a sad look to his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, unsure of what else to say. The worker sighed and shook his head.

“Don’t be. I’m glad to be done with him, but it doesn’t mean I can’t still like the flower.” He went back to inspecting the lavender before settling on one and holding it out to Antonio.

“This one is perfectly healthy. Well, they all are, but this one has grown the most. It will be easier to take care of,” he explained. “You said you have a few herbs growing correct? You will be able to use this lavender in your cooking if you like, it has been raised without any chemicals.”

Antonio took the pot with a proud smile. This was the handsome man's favorite flower. A beautiful flower for a beautiful man. He looked back up and cleared his throat.

“Thank you, er..”

“João.”

“I see. Thank you, João.” His brain finally caught up with what João said about the lavender. “Do you like to use lavender in your cooking?”

João gave a small hum and stayed silent for a moment before shrugging. “Sometimes. I prefer the smell more.”

“I see,” Antonio mumbled, looking down at the lavender in his hands. He would never cut it then, so that there could be as much lavender to freshen up the room as possible.

“I like to keep mine on a windowsill next to my bed,” João continued. “I can smell it when I go to sleep at night, it helps me relax.”

“I wish the window next to my bed was big enough for that,” Antonio sighed.

“Maybe a table later,” João offered.

“Maybe,” Antonio mumbled, though he did not want to spend the money on a table when an air freshener was cheaper and probably did much better.

Antonio followed João up to the counter. He paid for the lavender and left, glowing from happiness at how it was surely meant to be if João was there that day.

João. What a beautiful name. He couldn't wait to check his phone and see that--

He froze mid step on the sidewalk and cursed out loud, earning him a dirty look from a mother passing by with her child.

He still forgot to ask for his number.

The next day, Antonio had the day off from his job, so after sleeping in he went straight for the flower shop again. He was finding the walk to be easier the more he did it. He would not bother with any formalities, he would not even ask anything about plants this time. He would march in there, and ask--

He froze as he strolled in and saw João there at the counter, chatting with a woman. João paused and looked up, smiling when he recognized Antonio.

“You're back again?” he asked.

“I, uh...I wanted to look more closely at what you have here.”

“I see. Don't be afraid to ask questions,” João said before turning back to the blonde across the counter. Antonio tried to tune the conversation out as he mindlessly wandered around, but it was difficult to ignore that light, airy laugh that occasionally left João's lips. Antonio felt his chest tighten at the familiarity that they spoke to each other with. That was surely his girlfriend.

He tried to stay calm when the two said their goodbyes and the woman left, but it was difficult to hide his interest in the woman leaving. He turned back to the wall of flowers, though he wrung his hands as he thought about how best to approach João.

“Let me guess, you want another recommendation?” João asked right next to him, and Antonio jumped in surprise. He hadn't even noticed João move from the counter. He swallowed nervously and glanced away. What was he supposed to say? “No, I actually was waiting for your girlfriend to leave so I could ask you for your number”? Maybe if he wanted to have an excuse to never come to the shop ever again.

“I, um...h-how did you know?” he asked weakly. That was good enough.

“You're staring at an empty pot,” João pointed out.

Antonio felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. “I did not want to, er, interrupt your conversation between you and your girlfriend,” he muttered.

“Girlfriend?” João repeated with a small laugh. “No, no. That was just my friend. She came to visit and chat for a bit.”

Antonio felt his heart soar at hearing that. Maybe there was still hope for him. “Do you have someone else then?” he asked. “You know so much about flowers, I'm sure that is a hit.”

“No, when I am not working here I am usually running errands around town,” João mused. Antonio could have sworn he saw a light blush dusting João's cheeks.

“I, ha, met the other guy that works here,” Antonio chuckled. “He was not as friendly as you.”

“Oh, were you the one that came asking for me?” João asked. “That was Arthur. I’m sorry if he was rude. We, ah...are wary now of strangers coming in and asking about one another. He didn’t know my ex at all, and he didn’t know that we broke up, so when my ex came asking about my schedule, Arthur told him. It, ah, was messy.”

João cleared his throat and gave a small cough. “Anyways, what kind of space are you thinking of putting a plant in now?”

“Huh? Oh,” Antonio glanced around at all of the flowers, trying to think of where he could put another one. The coffee table could use some livening up. “Well, I have a table that I would like some decoration for, but it does not get much sun.”

“I see, would you like something bigger or smaller?” 

“I guess it..depends?” Antonio said, though it came out as more of a question. “I do not know what you mean by big and small.”

“Well, this would be big.” João walked over and held up a large wicker basket that was as wide as his chest. In the basket were dark, broad leaves that made the white lilies that bloomed on it almost glow.

Antonio swallowed nervously. It was beautiful, and would certainly look good in his living room, but it definitely was too big. “M-Maybe later.”

“I see,” João set the basket down and rubbed his chin as he thought it over. “Any pets?”

“No, my apartment does not allow pets.”

“That's too bad.” João had an amused smile on his face as he looked over the different plants.

João held up a bushy plant, with long, thin leaves that spread out above and over the pot. “How about this? It cleans the air. The air in an apartment is never good.”

“Maybe something more colorful? I have a lot of green in my apartment already.”

João pursed his lips and set the plant back down. “Let me think about it.”

Antonio's mind raced to try to come up with more conversation. There were only so many plants that he could reject before he seemed picky and troublesome. They were all beautiful, he would buy everything in the store if he had the space and the money.

“Do you have any plants at home?” he asked, moving to stand by João's side.

João paused in his searching to look back at him. “Of course. I have plenty, though I am fond of orchids.”

“And lavender, right?”

João brightened up at the question. “Yes, you remembered.”

Antonio blushed and cleared his throat as he glanced away. “I, er, just remember these kinds of things easily. You said you had some by your bed.”

“Yes, I do. It has grown so much that almost the entire windowsill belongs to it.” João gave a small laugh, as if he told a joke, and Antonio did not understand but gave a small chuckle as well.

“Is lavender difficult to grow?” Antonio asked.

“No, in my opinion it is not. As long as you check up on it often.”

“Well maybe I should, er...”

“How about this one?” João held up a small pot that fit perfectly in his hands. A small bush of bright orange flowers bloomed out from it, with a few dark leaves poking out underneath and between the blooms.

“I...” It was perfect, how could Antonio say no to it? “I love it. I'll take it.”

“Good, is there anything else you need?”

Antonio's shoulders hunched. “N-No.”

“I will take this to the counter then.”

Antonio followed João to the counter, where João typed in a few numbers into the large and clunky till. “So that will be--”

“Can I have your number?!” Antonio blurted out. He flinched back with wide eyes, embarrassed at the realization of what he just did. “I-- I mean..”

“You still have to pay, even if I give it to you,” João teased.

“I wasn't trying to get a discount!” Antonio defended. “But you're really handsome, a-and you're so kind, and I want to talk to you more about flowers.”

“I can talk about more than plants, you know.”

“I know, but you could list off every type of plant there was and what kind of light it grows best in and I would still be into you.”

João cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “L-Let me find a pen.”

Antonio's heart soared as he watched João get a notepad out from under the counter with a pen. João scribbled down a phone number on it and slid it over to him, and Antonio held his breath as he took the piece of paper and copied the number into his phone as quickly as possible.

“I'm closing today,” João continued, “so if you would like to stop by at around 5...”

“I'll be here!” Antonio promised, his heart in his throat. He paid for his new plant and left, nearly sprinting on the way home from how excited he was. He had no idea what they were going to do after João got out of work, especially because he didn't have much money left from everything he bought from the shop, but it didn't matter because he finally got a date.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you want to commission me for a piece of writing, it's only $3 per 500 words. Message me @merciful-mercenary on tumblr if you're interested! 
> 
> Also, there's a discord server dedicated for APH Portugal and various ships involving him! Come join at https://discord.gg/KVtEe2Q
> 
> Finally, please leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoyed it!


End file.
